Airforce Airman 1st Class Zachary Ryan Cuddeback

Remember Our Heroes

The family of Airman 1st Class Zachary Ryan Cuddeback, one of two U.S. airmen who were killed at a German airport last week, will lay their loved one to rest this weekend in the area where he was born just 21 years ago.

Cuddeback's family, which said he will always be remembered as "boisterous, impulsive and loving," will bury Cuddeback, who was born July 6, 1989, at Scott Air Force Base, next to his grandfather, Cecil O. Loyet.

According to his family, he had a passion for fixing cars and playing hockey. He also loved his younger brother, Tim, as well as the lifelong brothers he made in the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., where he attended school for a year and played on the school's hockey team.

"Zac's love of the Air Force, cars, hockey, (Old Dominion University) and (Kappa Delta Rho) were paramount in his life," according to a Cuddeback family statement. "He always had a smile on his face for everyone, but had no closer friend than his brother Tim."

Cuddeback and Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, of South Carolina, were killed Tuesday in a Frankfort, Germany, airport when 21-year-old Arid Uka, an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo who had lived in Germany for years, shot them during an attack on a busload of 16 airmen headed to a nearby base before they deployed to Afghanistan to serve a tour of duty.

Uka, who told authorities he planned the attack "as revenge for the American mission in Afghanistan," was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

His obituary

Cuddeback, Zachary Ryan, A1C Airman First Class and Hockey Player Extraordinaire Zachary Ryan Cuddeback's life was ended abruptly on March 2, 2011 while serving his nation in the Republic of Germany. Zac was an Army brat that called many places his home, but had a special place in his heart for St. Louis, Missouri. In 2008, Zachary graduated high school from William Monroe High School in Stanardsville, Virginia. After a year at Old Dominion University, where Zac played on the ODU Monarch's Ice Hockey Team, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 2009. Zac was a regular at the Charlottesville Ice Park. His love of the Air Force, Cars, and Hockey were paramount in his life. Zac always had a smile on his face for everyone, but had no closer friend than his brother Tim. Zac will be remembered by his family and friends as an automobile enthusiast and for his love of the game of hockey. His mother, De Loyet, father, Bob Cuddeback, and brother and best friend, Tim Cuddeback, will miss him sorely. Services: A Celebration Memorial Service will be conducted on March 9, 2011 from 1-3 p.m. at the Charlottesville, VA Main Street Arena (Ice Park). Please come as you are, but we know Zac would appreciate everyone dressing casual/comfortable such as in jeans and a hockey sweater or any sports or military oriented shirt. His favorite teams are the St Louis Blues and Rams!

Cuddeback is survived by his mother, Celia De Loyet, his father, Bob Cuddeback, his brother and best friend, Tim Cuddeback and his puppy, Einstein.